01 // Six years pass at the Feyglade Crossing

Six years have passed since the goblin attack on the Mae procession, the moment the young survivors fled through the veil into the Fey Wild. Now they gather beneath the lantern glow of the Fey Glade Tavern, reflecting on the escape that reshaped their lives and the strange stillness that followed.

The Party

• Chappy, Human, Bard (PC)

• Feffle, Halfljng, Paladin (PC)

• Fert, Goliath, Druid (PC)

• Scraat, Kenku, Rogue (PC)

• Smurk, Goblin, Wizard (PC)

• Livi, Halfelf, Wizard (NPC)

The party has spent those years training under the Keepers, former adventurers sworn to Lady Saraphene, guardian of Fey Glade Crossing. Steel has been sharpened, spells refined, faith tested. Yet for all their preparation, life feels suspended.

Livi is rarely seen, much of her time devoted to Lady Saraphene as she trains to become the future Mae, a calling that carries both reverence and weight. While she moves steadily toward destiny, the others remain confined to the area surrounding the Crossing. The world beyond feels distant, almost imagined. Feffle in particular struggles beneath the monotony lack of autonomy, wrestling with doubt and restlessness as the years stretch longer than any of them expected.

That evening drifts into shared memories: fragments of childhood, echoes of the attack, and small, quiet stories rooted in the Crossing itself. They speak of orchards and crypts, practice yards and watch posts. They speak of who they were before the veil closed behind them, and who they hope they might yet become.

The following morning, Lady Saraphene summons them to a trial meant to judge their readiness. In the yard, training dummies stand in neat rows, awaiting blade, spell, and song. One by one, the party demonstrates their abilities. Yet as the test unfolds, it becomes clear that something is missing. Striking stuffed targets measures force, not judgment; technique, not resolve. Lady Saraphene recognizes the flaw almost immediately and calls the trial to an end.

If they are to grow, the Crossing can no longer contain them. Instead of another hollow exercise, she assigns them a task: travel to the nearby city of Fey Ember and see the wider world for themselves.

For six years, Fey Glade Crossing has been their refuge and their crucible. Now, at last, the path beyond it begins to open.